So… is it true that marmite/vegemite is made from the leftover bits after brewing beer? I hope not, because it sounds like something I’d like but I have… issues with barley now. Which is the main component of beer. >sigh<
I had to give up Japanese miso because of the risk of barley contamination. Grrr…
Well… yeah, I’m not gonna tell you what to eat or not, but Marmite is so heavily processed and extracted that I doubt there are any barley allergens left in it. You could try a dab and see how it agrees with you.
Hmm…
Maybe the next time I visit Mercotan Manor I’ll try some, just a dab… and if it turns out to be a Bad Thing there will be a doctor on hand to call 911 instead of the dumbfounded “Are you SURE you’re dying?” questions.
But really, you might be surprised just how little of a substance you need in something to trigger a food allergy.
Dang it!
Just have your epi pen out, I’ll make sure it’s used properly.
I first had Marmite back in the ‘70s, when I accompanied a friend of mine on a camping trip outside of Brighton, Sussex. He worked in a childrens’ home, and the nuns had prepared boxes of sandwiches to last the first couple of days. We had a choice between bully beef on white bread or Marmite spread very thinly on white bread. I took to Marmite right away.
Bring it on pommy, yeah they are very similar.
I use Vegemite like most use Marmite, great as a nice umami flavouring for soups, stews etc much like using Miso paste.
Nothing beats white toast slathered with real butter and a delicate coating of yeast spread.
If gluten is an issue, Marmite does meet some definition of GF (per a cursory Google search) at <20ppm.
Qadgop, aren’t you the Doper who said you occasionally ordered a 1kg can of the stuff, or something like it?
I’m British; have eaten Marmite over the past half-century-plus. Agree that the marketing “everyone loves it or loathes it” schtick, is nonsense – people are just not that monolithic. I quite like the stuff, but am not a devotee: we always seem to have in the home, a jar of Marmite – I tend to have a fancy for it, on bread or on crackers, every few weeks or so. Twiglets I don’t hate, but can very much take or leave.
I too am in the camp of those who find Vegemite weaker than Marmite, and a bit dull: as SanVito says, many disagree.
nm
Consider internet suppliers.
In Barcelona there is a little store at the bottom of Passeig Sant Joan which sells expat-oriented fare; I’ve seen Marmite there but can’t recall Vegemite.
Due to insurance bullshit, prohibitive costs, and inability to obtain a prescription (“you haven’t needed one since 1995 so you have your allergies under control, why do you need one now?”) I don’t have an epi-pen. I have even tried to purchase one with my own funds now that I’m doing financially better and it’s still no deal.
I don’t have to tell you the short-sighted stupidity of this. Once had an insurance guy tell me his company discourages epi-pens because of a notion that encourages the allergic to be careless!?! I’ve also been told it’s to discourage “overuse”. Uh… what? I don’t know anyone who takes these meds for fun. WTF?
And people wonder why I’m a bit neurotic about food…
Hell, I’ve gotten bullshit about getting an asthma inhaler - my insurance ramped up the co-pay to $70 (I bitched and with a switch to a different brand got it down to $45). I can get antibiotics free, but medication to prevent hospitalization and/or death? Ha!
Sorry - sore spot there. I’ll get off my soapbox. Please, resume the discussion currently in progress.
The first item on the ingredients list on the jar I have here is “Yeast extract (contains BARLEY, WHEAT, OATS, RYE)”. So … sorry, yeah.
I’m surprised. It’s reasonably easy to find around here in Chicago; Vegemite is a little tougher. As far as I know, I can only find Vegemite at CostPlus World Market. Marmite here is available in most stores that have a decent “international” section (around here, that’s stores like Meijer and Mariano’s–but those are more midwest chains. Something like a Wegman’s should have it.) I’m reasonably sure I’ve seen it Whole Foods, if all else fails. And the aforementioned CostPlus World Market.
I’m afraid I’m going to shock my fellow British here (spoiled for the faint-of-heart).
[spoiler] I actually prefer Vegemite. It spreads better and I prefer the taste.
There. I said it. [/spoiler]
Not to threadjack, but what can anybody tell me about Bovril? How is it, how do you use it?
It was stupid of me to say that and I apologize for saying it.
Bovril:
It’s beefy, not yeasty, but you can use it in the same way - spread thin on toast, for example. It is also stirred into hot water to make “beef tea”
